A broken bone that has healed is stronger than it was before it was fractured.

Is it the same with a nation’s economy?

It can be, if, as with the bone, it was set properly and was not subjected to some kind of trauma during the healing process.

Our economy is on the mend. May began with good news on the jobs front. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April even as unemployment was down to 7.5 percent. At the same time, the Labor Department reported revised jobs numbers for February and March, showing hiring to have been a good bit more robust than initial reports had indicated.

Then, just last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the widely cited index of 30 blue chip companies, rose above 15,000 for the first time ever.

All while good news on the housing front continues to offer hope of still more ahead. Prices are finally on the rise after years of stagnation.

Are happy days here again?

Well, not exactly. But they may well be starting to blossom right before our eyes. The signs are there for those who care to notice them.

Federal lawmakers would do well to take note. And to remember their history.

When our nation was on the road to recovery after the Great Depression, foolish federal policy – the premature and abrupt halt of stimulus spending — stopped all progress and threw the nation back into the depths.

Thankfully, current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke just happens to be a student of the Great Depression. Sadly, not everyone always listens to him.

We are moving in the right direction, but we are not out of the woods yet.

Lawmakers, the White House and banking regulators need to take care as they nurture an economy that is on the mend.